The invention applies to a mixer-refiner-reactor of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,806,050, and all the information disclosed in that patent is incorporated herein by reference. The mixer was initially developed for refining cellulose fibers in a relatively thick slurry, and it worked well for that purpose and for several other mixing and refining jobs. As more and more different materials were attempted to be processed, including much less flowable materials, some surprising failures occurred, and these led to adjustments that usually converted failures to successes. In effect, experience showed that the mixer operated differently from any previously known mixer, so that its adaptation to processing different materials required considerable effort. The experience produced much information on the results that can be expected, and led to a better understanding and clearer insight on how the mixer operates and how it can be adjusted to process different materials.
The invention aims at efficient and successful adaptation of a mixer-refiner-reactor for processing different materials for different purposes. The inventive method also seeks more extensive application of the machine to a wider range of material processing for as many industrial uses as possible and to achieve results unobtainable with prior art mixing methods.